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Sagara Lab
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The lab creates materials that respond to rubbing and stretching forces by changing the color of their light.
AboutAbout the lab
Creating practical mechanosensing materials
The Sagara Lab studies organic materials whose luminescence changes when force is applied.
The lab makes materials whose fluorescence color and intensity change in response to mechanical stimuli such as rubbing, stretching, and grinding.
The lab covers the whole process, from multistep organic synthesis and polymer synthesis to evaluating the functions of the resulting materials and applying them in living systems.
The lab also focuses on developing 'supramolecular mechanophores,' which make small forces visible at the single-molecule level.
Key terms
- Mechanical stimulus
- A stimulus that applies force to an object, such as rubbing, stretching, or grinding
- Supramolecular mechanophore
- A component built by assembling molecules together, whose light emission changes when force is applied
- Liquid crystal
- A state in which molecules flow like a liquid while their orientation remains somewhat aligned
NewsLab news
Developed a supramolecular mechanophore that switches circularly polarized luminescence on and off by force at the single-molecule level
Collaborative research accepted by Nano Letters
Paper to which the lab contributed measurements accepted by J. Am. Chem. Soc.
Received the Excellent On-Demand Presentation Award
Article on mechanophores published in the Society of Polymer Science, Japan journal 'Kobunshi'
ResearchResearch themes
Focusing on force among external stimuli, the lab studies functional materials whose emission color and intensity change when force is applied. It creates materials that detect force with high sensitivity and explores uses in other fields through collaborative research.
*Illustrative imageMechanosensing luminescent materials
The lab develops materials such as crystals whose fluorescence color changes from green to orange when ground, and films whose emission intensity changes when they are stretched and relaxed. It also works on supramolecular mechanophores that visualize piconewton-scale forces on a single molecule.
*Illustrative imageThe idea of changing how molecules assemble
Until now, changing luminescence properties with force required breaking covalent bonds within molecules. If a stimulus instead changes how the molecules assemble, materials whose luminescence responds to stimuli can be made more easily.
*Illustrative imageFrom crystals to liquid crystals and supramolecules
Starting from a report that the fluorescence color of a crystalline pyrene derivative changes from blue to bluish green under force, the lab has extended its targets to crystals, liquid crystals, and micelles. This has led to the development of supramolecular mechanophores that work at the single-molecule level.
MembersFaculty
The Sagara Lab consists of faculty members, doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students, administrative assistants, and technical assistants.As of 2026
- Associate ProfessorYoshimitsu SagaraPublications ↗
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Fluorescein in ammonia solution (Part 13)” RaúlCHTRY / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Mechanosensing luminescent materials: “9,10-Bis(phenylethinyl)anthracen” Heiko4 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- The idea of changing how molecules assemble: “Anthracen” H. H. W. Preuß / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- From crystals to liquid crystals and supramolecules: “Nematic liquid crystal” Ingo Dierking / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Hayashi Lab): “Corrective soft contact lenses, with high oxigen permeability” Albarubescens / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Oba-Takahashi Lab): “Suiren2 in KEK” Osumi Akari / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Hayakawa Lab): “The Bird of Happiness” Strugalina / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Matsumoto Lab): “PolyurethaneNanofibers” Wikicristof / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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